Meooooooow 5
Chapter Four- When Buddy Met Stanley In the Mystery Shack, Grantie Mabel was busy practically stealing money from tourists. Meanwhile, Fiddleford was on his break, so he decided to spend it watching TV with Stanley and Stanford. They were watching a movie when the commercial break came on. The screen showed lights, smoke, and music. Fiddleford recognized it and pointed at the TV excitedly, "Hey, look! It's that commercial I was tellin' you guys about." The twins looked at the screen in sudden interest, "Are you completely miserable?" A voice-over in the commercial asked. An actor cried, "YES!" "Then you need to meet… Buddy." "Buddy?" Ford repeated. "What makes him so special?" Asked Stanley. "He's a psychic," the commercial answered. "So don't waste your time with a so-called 'woman of mystery'," it showed a not so photogenic picture of Mabel with the word FRAUD stamped over it. "Okay, first of all, that is very rude and untrue. Second, I am pretty sure that was sexist against old people," Stanley observed. Fidds shushed him so they could hear the rest of the commercial. "Learn all about it at Buddy's Tent of Telepathy," the disclaimers came on, and unless Ford was mistaken, he thought he had heard the narrator admit he loved someone named 'Carla'. Fidds turned the TV off and asked, "So, what do you think about Buddy?" Grantie Mabel walked in, frustrated, "Let me tell you kids something. Buddy is bad news. Ever since his father came into town, he's been nothing but trouble, and his son is no different," she grumbled. "Why's that?" Stan asked curiously. "Is it because of how he bashed you in the commercial?" Ford guessed. Mabel sighed and sat down, "Listen kids, it goes a little deeper than that. Buddy's father, Gideon, is selfish. I learned that a long time ago. He and I dated for a while, back when we were both young. At first it was nice, but then Gideon became… well, possessive," she explained the best she could. "You mean he wouldn't share his stuff with you?" Stan asked. "Not exactly," she continued slowly, as if thinking of how to word it to the children. She sighed and started over. "The point is that Gideon is an awful man, and I forbid you to be near him or his son. I'm doing this for your safety," Grantie Mabel left the room before the kids could ask any more questions. Now by themselves, Fidds turned to the twins, "What was that all about?" "I don't know," Ford shrugged. "but do you guys really think that Buddy is psychic?" "Do you wanna go check it out?" Stan asked. "No! You heard what Grantie Mabel said," Ford hissed. "We aren't allowed." Stan stood up, "So, we'll sneak out! We can go stop by and leave without Grantie Mabel ever knowing!" He suggested. Fiddleford shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea." "It'll be fine as long as we don't talk to them. Grantie Mabel said we shouldn't be near them, but she never specified how near," he pointed out. The other boys were still unsure, but Stan buttered up the deal. "Come on, guys! Aren't you curious? Plus, if we check that place out, we can come up with ways to make the Mystery Shack better!" "You do have a good point," Ford admitted. He sighed. "Alright. I'm in." "Me, too," Fiddleford added reluctantly. ---- That afternoon, the boys made it to the Tent of Telepathy. It made Ford feel a little guilty, since he was disobeying his grantie, but he did admit he was curious. At the very least, he kept his distance from this 'Gideon' guy. He didn't care about him, though. It was Buddy that got his attention. There was a large crowd around the tent, and at the entrance was a large man with white hair and chubby cheeks. He held out a sack to the crowd. "Step right up here, folks! Put your money in Buddy's psychic sack," he said. The crowd smiled and lined up to do just that. Fiddleford nudged the twins, "That's Gideon GStanful," he whispered. "But he doesn't seem too bad," Stan commented. "That's not the point. How are we going to get in without being near him?" Ford asked. Stanley looked around, thinking, until he got an idea, "Follow me!" Ford and Fidds followed Stan to the side of the tent. Once the coast was clear and no one was around, Stanley lifted up the tent flap, and the boys snuck in. Inside the tent were dozens of chairs that were lined up, and nearly all of them were filled. There was a stage up front, and the interior of the tent contained strange symbols of stars, eyes, and triangles. "Whoa," Ford gasped in amazement, "this is like an alternate version of the Mystery Shack! They even have their own Maria and Fidds." He pointed at a young cleaning lady that resembled Ria, and an even younger maintenance worker that looked a lot like Fiddleford. A name tag on his shirt read 'Finnigan'. Fidds glared at him jealously while chewing on snacks he brought. The lights around them dimmed, and music began playing, "It's starting! It's starting!" Stan gasped. The boys took their seats next to each other in the front row. "Let's see what this monster looks like," Ford whispered to himself. The red curtains in front of them opened, and a chubby child with brown hair appeared on the stage. He looked no older than ten, "Hello, America! My name is Li'l Buddy!" The young psychic smiled cutely. He clapped, and doves flew out from his hands, as if by magic. The crowd cheered in awe. "That is Mabel's competition?" Ford asked. "But he's so wittle!" Stanley cooed. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is such a gift to have you here tonight! Such a gift! I have a vision," he exclaimed. "I predict that you will soon all say 'aww'," Buddy struck a cute pose, and the crowd awed. "It came true!" Stanley smiled and threw his hands up. Ford rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I'm not impressed." "Liar." One the stage, Buddy pointed to Gideon, who was at the piano, "Hit it, Dad!" Gideon started playing, and Buddy began singing a song for the audience. Ford had to admit it was catchy, but what caught him off guard was when the audience, including himself, Fidds, and Stan, stood up and started to clap along with the beat. The strange part about it was that it was unintentional. "Wha-? How did he-" Ford saw that no one was listening to him, so he stopped talking to keep listening to Buddy's song. "Keep it going!" Buddy cheered. He pointed to an old woman with a cat on her lap and sang, "You wish your son would call you more." "I'm leaving everything to my cats!" She yelled, but didn't deny what he said. The cat in her lap meowed. "I sense that you've been here before," Buddy sang, pointing to Sheriff Holt, who was wearing and holding various Li'l Buddy merchandises. The sheriff laughed, "What gave it away?" Ford sighed, exasperated, "Come on," he groaned. Buddy seemed to hear him, because then he turned to the twins and continued singing, "I'll read your minds if I can. Something tells me you're both named 'Stan'." Stanford suddenly regretted the decision to wear matching sweaters with Stanley that both read, 'I'm With Stan'. Stanley didn't seem to recall this. "How'd he do that?" Stan asked in wonder. Ford rolled his eyes again. After the song ended, the crowd cheered wildly. "Oh… oh my goodness," Buddy panted. "Thank you! You people are the real miracles!" Fiddleford clapped out of politeness, but Stanford didn't clap at all. Stanley, on the other hand, was one of the more enthusiastic audience members, "Woo! Yeah!" He cheered. ---- As they exited the tent, Ford scoffed, "Man, that kid's an even bigger fraud than Mabel! No wonder she doesn't like him and Gideon." "He wasn't that bad," Fidds shrugged. "At the very least, he does do a good musical number." "Wasn't that bad?" Stan repeated. "He's amazing! And his dance moves! And he knew our names!" "We're wearing Grantie Mabel's sweaters, Stan," Ford reminded him irritably. "Yeah, yeah," he shrugged off. "I'm actually almost regretting not paying the entrance fee." Ford rolled his eyes again. ---- The next day, Stanley went up to Stanford, wearing his boxing outfit and gloves. "Check it out, Ford! A bruise!" There was a large, ugly purple bruise forming on his cheek. "I got it when I fell on the floor!" "Ow," Ford commented. "Does it hurt?" "Very much," he smiled. The doorbell rang. "Somebody answer that door!" Grantie Mabel called out from the kitchen. "I got it!" Stanley smiled. He went to open the door, forgetting that he had boxing gloves on. He struggled to open the door knob, and Ford was about to ask Stan if he needed help when he got it open. "Hi!" A voice on the other side of the door greeted. Ford looked to see it was, surprisingly, Buddy GStanful. "It's 'wittle ol' you!" Stan gasped. Buddy laughed nervously, "Yeah, my dad actually wrote that song. It's pretty catchy. I, uh, know that we haven't really met yet, but after yesterday's show, I just thought we could hang out or something. You seemed to be such a big fan and all, and it would be great if you would..." Before Stanley could answer, Grantie Mabel called out, "Who's at the door?" "No one, Grantie Mabel!" Stan yelled. "Thanks for not telling her," Buddy added. "So, how about it? I know this place where there's this busted-up, old car. We could hang out there if you wanted to." "Yeah!" Stanley cheered in response. He lightly punched Buddy's stomach, forgetting, once again, about the gloves. "Ow," Buddy laughed. The two of them left the house, leaving Ford alone to read and decode the journal some more. ---- Stanley came back four hours later, covered in dirt, oil, and sunburns, "Hey, Ford!" He yelled. Ford yelled in surprise, but he sighed when he saw it was just his brother, "What happened to you?" he asked. "I was hanging out with my new pal, Buddy. He's pretty awesome, and I would have never thought he would be into cars and trucks." "Be careful around him," Ford warned. "Remember what Grantie Mabel said? He's supposed to be bad news." "So? You never want to do these kind of things with me; you and Fidds get to do nerdy stuff all the time!" Stan pointed out. "What do you mean?" Fiddleford ran into the room with a box, "Hey, Ford! I just got the 1991-1992 edition of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons! It's the version where Probabilitor the Annoying can use the Impossibeast!" Stanford gasped excitedly, "No way! With pen and paper," he stood, recalling the oath. "-Shield and sword," Fidds continued. "Our quest will be our sweet reward!" They finished together. Fidds and Ford laughed, and they ran off to play, leaving Stanley behind. ---- Stanley and Buddy continued hanging out over the next few days. Grantie Mabel didn't notice until one day, when she read the newspaper. "What in the name of all that is good is my little Stanley doing in the paper with Buddy GStanful?" She asked angrily to her employees and Stanford. "Oh, yeah," Danny read from his magazine casually, "it's like a big deal. Everyone's talking about 'Buddy's wittle fwiend'," he chuckled. "WHAT?! You mean that son of a maniac is friends with my great nephew?!" She took a deep breath and glared at Ford in accusation. "I didn't know!" he lied to defend himself. "I didn't hear about it, and plus, I told him not to hang out with him." "Yeah," she scoffed, "well it ends tonight. I have no choice but to go to his father's house and put an end to this once and for all!" Grantie Mabel left the room in a fury and slammed the door behind her. Once it got quiet, Fidds spoke up. "Hey, Ford, wouldn't it be funny if that was a closet, and she had to come back out again and go out the real door?" Stanford and Dan watched as Fiddleford went to the door and opened it. "Nope. Real door. Hey, check it out!" Ford closed the door behind him and came back in the room. "I came out of the closet!" "Not a closet, Fidds," Ford reminded him. "Darn it." ---- Grantie Mabel drove her convertible to Gideon's house, grumbling the whole way. She parked in the driveway and knocked on the door, "Gideon! I know you're there! Open up!" She read the sign that says, 'Please Pardon This Garden', before knocking the sign down. "I will pardon NOTHING! No matter how beautiful this garden is!" Gideon opened the door, "Why, if it isn't Mabel Pines! What a delight!" "Can it, GStanful, I know you have something to do with this," she accused. "You mean with my son and your nephew just happening to be friends? What a beautiful coincidence, isn't it?" Mabel frowned, "No, it isn't. You're planning something, Gideon, and I know it," she pointed at him. "Don't think I've forgiven you for what you did all those years ago." "Don't fret," Gideon smiled. He led her inside. "I'll make you some Colombian coffee if you want some." "I'm not here for coffee. I'm here to tell you that I am against those two being friends," Grantie Mabel spat. "Well," Gideon chuckled, "I actually see this as a fantastic business opportunity. Yes, the Mystery Shack and the Tent of Telepathy. We've been at each other's throats for far too long, and this is our big chance to set aside our rivalry and pool our collective profit, you see." Mabel scoffed, "That might work on others, but you can't fool me, Gideon. We both know what it really is you want." Gideon laughed and threw his hands up, "Whoop, caught me red handed! That's right, Mabel," he smiled. He stood in front of her and held her hands. "I want us back together." She slapped him across the face, "Never again, GStanful," she spat bitterly. He held his red cheek with his hand, "Just as exciting as ever, you are," he smiled. "Come on, Mabel, you can't say 'no'." "Yes, I can. NO!" She left and slammed the door shut. ---- That night, after playing laser tag with Stan, Buddy went back home to his dad. "How did it go?" Gideon asked. "It was fun!" Buddy smiled. "Stanley is really fun to hang out with." Gideon gestured for Bud to sit down, and they both sat on the couch, "Son, you're going to have to spend more time with him." "Why?" "Because I still haven't won his grantie's heart yet. You want a new mommy, right?" "Um… yeah," he replied. "Dad? Do I have to do that stupid musical number again tomorrow?" Gideon slammed his fist on the table, causing Bud to jump, "IT'S NOT STUPID! You'll do what I tell you to do, boy!" He frowned angrily. Bud took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, sir." "Just be grateful I'm not making you date the brat," he spat. "I'll be going over to Stanley's aunt's house tomorrow, and I want you to make sure she's alone. Go and invite Stanley, his brother, and whoever else will be in the house out of there for the day, until I say you can bring them back. Got that?" Bud nodded fearfully, "Y-yes, sir." "Good," Gideon took a deep breath to calm down before walking out of the room. "Now, be a good boy and go clean something or what-not. I'm gonna finish off that ice cream." ---- The next day, the boys were playing outside the Mystery Shack using fake wooden swords and shields Stanley made. Fiddleford held up his shield, which was large enough for him to hide most of his body in. "Okay, try to hit me!" Stanley swung his sword at Fidds, but the shield blocked it. The kids laughed, but stopped when they saw Buddy GStanful walking up to them. "Oh, hey, Buddy!" Stanley smiled. "H-Hey, Stanley," Buddy waved shyly. "Do you want to hang out with me today?" Stanley looked back at Fidds and Ford, "I'm already doing something now, but you can join us if you want." "Well, I have a better idea. There's this place at the edge of town…. It's really cool, and I want you to check it out. They could come too, if you'd like," he offered. Ford and Fidds glanced at each other, then at Stan, then nodded, "Okay," Fidds decided. "Is there anyone else in the shack you'd like to bring?" Bud asked. "Well, Grantie Mabel's taking a nap, and the shack isn't open today, so it's just us," Stan said. Bud nodded, "Okay. Let's go now, then." "YAY!" The other boys cheered. ---- A while later, Gideon walked up to the front door and knocked. Mabel opened the door, dressed in her nightgown. She glared at him, "What do you want now?" "I only wanted to talk to my peach dumplin'," he smiled. Grantie Mabel sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not your 'peach dumpling', and I'm not interested!" "Just let me inside, sweet peach, and I'll make your dreams come true." "You mean the dream where you leave?" "Not exactly," Gideon held out a small box and got on one knee in front of her. "Mabel Sophia Pines…" "How did you know my middle-" "Will you take my hand in marriage?" Gideon opened the small box. In it was a ring, but that wasn't what made Grantie Mabel gasp. She looked at the photograph in anger, "Why, you little-" she tried to grab it, but she wasn't fast enough. Gideon took the picture and hid it in a pocket. "That's right," he smiled. "Don't think I've forgotten. I know your secrets, Mabel, and I will exploit them unless you agree to become my wife!" Grantie Mabel considered her options, before she gave in and sighed, "I do." ---- Meanwhile, the boys were at the edge of town, playing in an abandoned warehouse, "I AM THE KING OF PIRATES!" Stanley exclaimed. The other boys laughed, and they brought their swords to fight each other with, and they also found cardboard boxes and tubes to wear as armor. Fiddleford knocked Stanford over, and he fell in a pile of styrofoam popcorn. Ford didn't get back up, and he yawned, "Guys, do you wanna go back home?" "Yeah," Fidds agreed, checking the time, "my dad'll want me back by now." "But you can't leave yet!" Buddy exclaimed. "We still haven't looked through the whole warehouse yet!" "Don't worry, Bud," Stan smiled, "we can come back tomorrow." "It's not that, I-" Buddy's phone rang, and he answered it. "Hi, Dad." "Buddy, I have great news! How's everything going for you?" "They just told me they wanted to leave," Bud answered. "Well, put your phone on speaker, son. Stanley's grantie has something she'd like to tell everyone," Gideon said on the other side of the line. Buddy did what he was told, "Guys, I'm putting it on speaker," he announced. The other boys nodded, and then they heard a familiar voice from the phone, "Kids? Kids, this is Mabel. I… I'm getting married." "WHAT?!" Ford, Fidds, and Stan asked at once. "Gideon found his way back into my heart, and I forgave him," she explained.'' "And when he proposed to me, I couldn't say no!"'' "But that makes no sense!" Ford retorted. "You hated him yesterday. Why do you suddenly want to marry him?" "It's complicated. You kids'll understand when you're older," she answered. "We're getting married tonight!" Gideon added.'' "Bud, you know what to do."'' The line went dead, "Buddy? What's he talking about?" Stan asked. Buddy looked down sadly, "I'm sorry," he whispered. He pulled out a strange amulet and placed it around his neck. "My dad told me that this town isn't normal. He said that Gravity Falls has secrets that I couldn't begin to comprehend," he used the amulet to levitate Ford, Stan, and Fidds. Several other objects started floating as well. Everything that the amulet was controlling had a blue aura surrounding it. "Woah! W-What's happening?!" Fidds asked. "I thought you were fake!" Ford yelled in shock. "I am!" Bud exclaimed. "It's not me that does all this stuff! It's my dad! And I have to listen to him!" Much to their surprise, he started crying. "I have to do this…" "No, you don't!" Stanley spoke up. "Buddy, we're friends, remember?" Buddy sobbed, but he put Stan down. He continued holding Ford and Fidds in the air, and he threw them. The boys screamed, but fortunately, they landed in a pile of cardboard boxes and styrofoam popcorn. Before they could fully recover from the fall, they were floating again. "Stanley, you're my best friend, but I can't disobey him," Buddy closed his eyes, and more tears fell down his cheeks. "No. Buddy, you can't always do what your dad tells you to do! Not when he tells you to hurt people. You have to stop this," Stan pleaded. "Please. Is this really what you want?" "No," he shook his head. He looked at Fidds and Ford, and the looks of fear they had on their faces. Bud turned to Stan, the only real friend he ever had. In anger, he ripped off the amulet and threw it across the room. It shattered when it hit the ground. Ford and Fidds fell on the ground, as well as the other objects that were levitated. Buddy hid his head between his knees and sobbed. The other boys got up to comfort him. Once Bud was feeling better, Ford spoke, "I don't know about you guys, but I think Gideon is forcing Grantie Mabel to marry him." "Then we have to stop him now," Buddy declared. He wiped away his remaining tears and ran out of the warehouse, "Come on!" The other boys followed him, but Fiddleford spoke up, "But the shack is two miles away! We'll never make it in time!" "I wouldn't be too sure," Bud smirked. "Follow me!" They ran to the old, abandoned car that Bud and Stan first played at the first day they spent together, and Buddy took out a rusty car key from his pocket, "Get in!" he yelled. Without thinking twice, the boys climbed in the car, with Bud in the driver's seat. "But you don't have a license!" Ford reminded him. Fiddleford rolled his eyes, "Remember what I told you about our laws?" "Oh, right," he chuckled. Buddy twisted the key in the ignition, and the car roared with life. "Step on it!" He ordered. "Alright! Hang on!" Buddy hit the gas, and the car sped down the country road. The boys yelled in panic. ---- The police officers were parked in a dark alley in town working on a word find puzzle. They looked up to see four boys driving past them in an old car and screaming. "Did you just see that?" Deputy Roy asked. Sheriff Holt checked the speedometer, "They were going the speed limit," he shrugged. "Fair enough," they continued with their puzzle as if nothing happened. ---- "Where are the kids?!" Grantie Mabel demanded. "What did you do to them?" Gideon chuckled, "Once your precious nephews are out of the way, it'll just be you and me," he smiled. Mabel played with the ring that was forced on her finger, wanting nothing more than to take it off and shove it down Gideon's throat. She glared at him, "You'll never get away with this. We have laws now since you last tried this, you little mutant!" "In a town where people can marry woodpeckers? I don't think so," he chuckled. "But look at what we have here! Our very own weddin' officiant! Licensed and everything," he gestured towards Thompson Determined, who wasn't looking very happy about this situation at all. "I'm getting Tambry Valentino's phone number after this, right?" He asked. "Of course," Gideon promised sweetly. He turned back to Mabel. "After tonight, we'll be together forever. Till' death do us part," he whispered. "Thompson, we're ready to begin." Thompson began, "Tonight, we are here for the union of Gideon Charles GStanful and Mabel Sophia Pines." "Just skip to the good stuff if you don't mind," Gideon interrupted. "Gideon, will you take Mabel as your wife, to love and to hold for as long as you shall live?" Thompson asked. "I do," he smiled. The temporary officiant turned to Mabel, "And do you, Mabel, take Gideon GStanful as your lawfully wedded husband?" Mabel hesitated to answer, "Come on, Mabel. You know you can't say no," Gideon pressured her. "You know what's at risk." She took a deep breath, but before she could answer, Stanley slammed open the door to the gift shop, "I OBJECT THIS UNION!" He yelled. "Kid," Mabel called out, "we're in the living room." "Oh, okay!" They heard a door close, and Stanley, with the other boys, opened the living room door. "I OBJECT THIS UNION!" He repeated. Gideon looked at the kids, seeming not at all shocked to see Buddy with them, "Hello Stanford, Stanley," he smiled. "How long have you boys been livin' in this town? A week, two? You like it here? Enjoy the scenery?" he asked casually. Ford ignored him, "You leave our grantie alone!" he demanded. The older man laughed, "Or else what?" he taunted. "You gonna nibble my ankles? Your aunt will be mine!" Gideon declared. "And there is nothing you can do about it!" Thompson Determined ran out the door in fear, "Not good. Not good. Not good." "Grantie Mabel was right about you! You are a monster!" Stanley yelled. He threw himself at Gideon and attacked him, and while he was distracted, Grantie Mabel sucker-punched him in the face with the hand wearing the wedding ring. She threw it off and took something from Gideon. "I believe that's mine," she smiled proudly. "NO! GIVE ME THAT!" He yelled, clutching his nose. Grantie Mabel put the item away in a pocket, and pushed him out the door, "I STILL HAVE EVIDENCE! I STILL KNOW YOUR SECRETS, AND I WILL EXPLOIT-" She slammed the door in his face and locked it, "Kids, call the cops." ---- A few minutes later, Grantie Mabel and the boys were outside of the Mystery Shack, watching the police officers take Gideon GStanful away. "Grantie Mabel?" Stan asked. "How long will he be in jail for?" She sighed, "A few weeks at most, kiddo. It's unbelievable what rich people can get away with these days… but I really want to thank you kids for saving me back there," she smiled. "It really means a lot." "What was he talking about though?" Stanford asked. "About your secrets?" "Just some blackmail from when we were younger," she shrugged off. "Nothing you kids need to worry about," Mabel checked the time. "It's getting late. I'm gonna drop Fiddleford home and explain everything to his father. You boys should get ready for bed." Buddy spoke up, "B-But what's gonna happen to me, though? With my dad gone, where will I live?" "I already got everything sorted out," she explained. "The cleaning lady that works at the Tent of Telepathy said she would take you in until you find a better home. Look, there she is now!" A car honked with the cleaning lady in the driver seat. Buddy was about to run in the car, but then he stopped to hug Stanley. "Thank you for believing in me," Bud smiled. Stanley hugged him back, "No problem. See ya, Buddy!" Buddy let go and ran back to the car, "Bye, Stanley! Bye, Stanford! Bye, Fiddleford!" "BYE!" The other boys waved. The car drove away. "Grantie Mabel, I'm sorry for not listening to you," Stan said softly. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." "Are you kidding?" Mabel laughed. "You made a new friend, and you put Gideon behind bars! To be honest, he has always been bothering me. He never stops sending me creepy letters. At least now he'll leave me alone for a bit, but thanks for the apology," she smiled sincerely. She hugged the boys, before leaving with Fidds. "Goodnight, kiddos. Be in bed by the time I get back." The twins waved bye, before yawning and heading inside, "Ford? Do you think Gideon will come back for us?" "I doubt it," he responded confidently. "I have my journal, don't I? What could that washed-up old man possibly have that could compete with it?" "Good point. Goodnight, Sixer." "Goodnight, Stan," the lights turned off, and all seemed well. ---- In the moving police car, Gideon breathed heavily in anger while holding an open book in his lap, "Stanford and Stanley Pines, you don't know what you've done! You boys made the biggest mistake of your lives! The entire Pines family will pay recompense for your transgressions!" "Quiet, back there!" Sheriff Holt ordered. "And what're you reading? A dictionary?" Gideon laughed quietly, "I'll have my marshmalla again soon. You'll see, boys…" he closed a navy blue journal with two silver pine trees on the cover. "You'll see…"